OH I love the idea of no cardio..... but I promised a friend I would start running soon so I can do the warrior dash with her either this year or next year. Just depends on if I can drop the weight build some more muscle and get my tummy under control. I love the number 142!! I was thinking for myself 140-145 would be a great weight to be at

I do because I can. I can because I want to. I want to because you said I couldn't.

Forgot to post my Chest and Bicep day. Everybody was commenting that I looked like I was out of it. I guess I was really fatigued at the end - that is when people I know starting showing up at the gym and commenting. I might have been wiped out by Leg day, but I still did some new PBs for Chest, but they were mostly either the same weight with solid reps or just a little bit more weight with less solid reps.

Machine Press: 210/8 (6 reps last time)

Cable Flyes: 50/8 (6 reps last time)

Smith Press: 130/8 solid this time: partner did not shadow me

HmrStrngth Chest Press: 120/8 (solid 8 reps this time)

Biceps

EZ Barbell Curl: 60/15 (only 12 reps last time), and the 80/4 were more solid this time

Rest day was a misty rainy day, and I ventured forth outside on the trail to do a 2 mile walk. And to celebrate the coming of the cutting phase, I ventured into the gym in the morning! I was able to do a 5k on a elliptical at level 2, and keep my heart beats at around 130 (under 140). I do not want to do HIIT just yet. I need to see if I still have some slow twitch fibers left in my body, and the way I am feeling today is that I do, but they are sore today! My hip flexors are hurting from the trail walk, and my IT band is sore from the elliptical. I shall have to ease back into cardio which is what I thought I might have to do (my body is so use to lift heavy, rest, drink water, lift heavy, and repeat). Even though I complained about leaving bulking, I am so curious as to what is under this layer of fat of mine. I feel like a little kid at Christmas time again. So excited in anticipation!

For Delts, since we are at the end of the month and I usually do my Ligament strengthening routine (which is 4 sets of 25 reps of a weight that will let you do that - usually a light to medium weight).....BUT since we will be cutting next week, I thought of just trying out some ideas of supersetting with a partner.

First supersetting: 4 sets of ascending weight, PB weight set, and then 4 sets of descending sets - but not at the same time - supersetting -

Machine Military Press (using the grip that makes your palms face each other) is what I started on, and my partner was on the Smith Press Military Press (barbell grip). We decided to do as many reps as we could with the weight we had (I did about 50 reps on the light weight - while my partner could do 25 reps at least with the light weight). We would do a set, then switch machines, and after we both had done our first set on both machines, we would up the weight and repeat, till we had 4 sets done. Then we took a break (usually a bathroom break or talk to someone for a couple of minutes), and try to do our PB set. It was hard and we helped each other out alot (either shadowed or actually spot at the last couple of reps - though we were in the 6-8 rep range). We then rested another couple of minutes, and began our descending weight sets in the same manner (do the exercise, switch, do the exercise on the other machine, descend the weight, and then switch, repeat) for 4 sets of whatever was failure in the reps.

The next superset was Barbell Front Raise and Rear Delt machine. Again 4 sets of ascending weight, a PB set, and then 4 sets of descending weights, all the while switching between machines.

After these 2 supersetting double exercises, we were really tired. Ha ha ha ha. Not use to aerobic workouts!

We then grabbed the resistance bands, and did side laterals back and forth till we could do no more: I started first with the green band and did like 35 reps which was failure, said that's it for me and stopped, and then my partner did her set with reps till failure and stopped. Repeat. We did this till we could do only 6 reps - our delts were totally fatigued - yet we went and did another exercise! This one was fun. She grabbed one end of the resistance band, and I grabbed the other. We did this with two bands between us, crisscrossed them, and each took turns pulling back for rear delts. We did this for about 2 minutes, till we were laughing so hard, and we couldn't pull back on the band anymore (it was fun in the beginning because we tried to pull each other off balance when we pulled back). After a good laugh, we went on to our last exercise that my partner loves to do for her delts.

After we rested for a couple of minutes or so, we did the dumbbell end-to-end side laterals. I took out the 10lbs dumbbells, the 7.5lbs dumbbells, and the 5lbs dumbbells. I started with the 10lbs, did 15 reps, went to the 7.5lbs to do 15 reps while my partner started her 15 reps with the 10lbs dumbbells. I put down the 7.5lbs, grab the 5lbs and do 15 reps, and my partner would do her 15 reps with the 7.5lbs. When I got done with the 5lbs, I would take a long walk around the bench, and find my way back to the 10lbs and begin again. We did this loop for 4 sets (loop with all 3 dumbbells that is).

Then we were done. Delts were pumped and we were fatigued to the point where we were sick (I do that on Leg day sometimes). Hopefully we will get better at this.

I only went in the morning to walk on the treadmill (snowy here again and can't get to the trail today for a walk) for 30 minutes at 3mph and went 1.5 miles. It did not seem to interfere with my delt workout.

Extra today for supplements was L-Carnitine, and Yogi Teas' Kombucha Green tea (morning before the treadmill walk, and during working out). I was bouncing off the gym walls with the green tea (I am such a lightweight for everything!) - and actually bouncing at one time while trying to spot my partner for her PB set and a song was on that I like! Still taking my ProStack from World ABS, but no creatine. I will get the Tonalin next month or so. Weighing out my food for meal 1, 2, and 3, but at night after working out, I am still eating what I want but keeping the portions down - don't have to really write it ALL down till next week Wed! and curb all the portions till then.

It is not the Kombucha beverage (do you know that I got tipsy on the little fermenting alcohol in it? lightweight in that too), but a tea:http://www.yogiproducts.com/products/de ... -kombucha/it is just a green tea with some extra herbs to make it taste really good. It has the right amount of caffeine in it for me to start out.

Yah, so today's workout was really weird. My partner was having a bad day, and was really out of it to work out. Again, I was full of energy, but I had to sit on it and help my partner. So slow, and I was having to wait for her to get done with her set, so I could use the machine. It turned into a 4 hour workout! Ouch! I did a PB on some of the exercises, but my partner was having trouble just doing the many reps for each set. She did not have a good sleep last night, nor the night before. Sleep deprivation is a killer in my book. Felt sorry for her as it was her old dog that has to go outside to 'do his thing' at all hours of the night - and I already suggested she not feed him at night, but I guess he has a sensitive stomach and he heaves if it gets too empty. And she already feeds him her BB food of egg whites and brown rice! no dogfood for him. I hope tomorrow's rest day will give her time to take a nap and catch up on her sleep.

Back- Supersets

Machine Row (Lower grip) with Lat Pulldowns (Regular Widebar with bent angles on the end): Ascending weight up, PB set of 8 reps, and then descending sets (most reps were in the 25 range, and then with the heavier weights I decided to do the 25 reps, but there was a breathing break usually at 15 reps, and then followed for 10 more reps for 25 - on the ascending and descending sets).

Stiff-Legged Deadlifts with HammerStrength Back Pulldown Row: I did 4 ascending weight sets up, no PB set-but a heavy set that gave me only 8 reps - and then 4 descending sets (and again 25 reps, with breather breaks when needed - on the ascending and descending sets).

This took us 2 hours to do just these. Sigh.......

Triceps - Supersets

Tricep behind the head Rope Extensions (from waist level) with Tricep Rope Pressdown: again the same routine as above: ascending, PB of 8 reps on these, and descending - with 25 reps and breather breaks.

Assisted Tricep Machine Dips with Dumbbell Kickbacks (my partner had to leave to take her dog for a walk - it was going on 3 1/2 hours by now): Ascending 4 sets, no PB, and Descending 4 sets (of 25 reps with breather breaks) - I was out of steam at this point.

I am a little upset by this workout. But it will do my body good to have had this not so aerobic workout. I was not sore from yesterday's aerobic workout, but I do have an allover fatigue. Plus I will just add the aerobic energy from today to tomorrow's rest day cardio time! Though, not too much, as the next day is Leg Day!!!

Leg day was just so-so. Started off on the Leg Press and tried to have short breaks in between our 25 rep sets (up to 6 - 45lbs plates on each side) - but the partner had to use the restroom alot (excuse is the pre-work she uses seems to also be a diuretic for her). Then we supersetted Leg Extensions and Leg Curls back and forth pretty smoothly by this time (again 25 rep sets going up in weights, reaching a moderate weight that makes us do 15 reps, breath pause, then finish the last 10 reps. though I remember sometimes I would do more reps - like up to 50 reps). Then we supersetted Seated Calf Raise and Smith Press Sumo Squats. After that it was the Adductor and Abductor Machines (this one we did our usual 25 reps on what our weight always is - 130lbs for me). Legs felt really pumped (and still do the next day!). I also went in the morning and did the Elliptical for 30 minutes, on level 2 - knew I had legs and just wanted to warm them up.

Last day of bulking. I have a Turtle trails Coconut Milk Ice cream for tonight's farewell performance.

Today's Chest and Biceps was a here and there for my partner and me (I was pretty hyped on the green tea, and she was complaining about her shoulder and neck being messed up, so I gave her other apparatuses to use for the same movement that I was working on - mostly dumbbells and cables). The supersets for me while full of energy were:

First set was a warmup weight, and then a couple of ascending weight sets till I got to one where the 25 reps were just barely manageable. Then I proceeded to do 4 sets of 25 reps with that weight - no descending weight sets today.

and then I quickly went home as it was 50 degrees and went for my trail walk for 2 miles. There were spots where the snow and ice were still there and very slushy. I had wet socks and shoes, and the bottom 6 inches of my knit pants were soaked. But it was warm enough to not bother me! unfortunately the sun had gone behind some omnious grey clouds, and the weather person predicted rain for tonight. But sunny again tomorrow!

Going to go for a walk with my partner tomorrow in the late morning. Then I will tackle the stairmaster at my usual time at the gym - even though it is our scheduled day off from weights. Gradually adding cardio in - I think. Sometimes the green tea's caffeine starts whispering in my ear to go more! and more! and more! I had 2 bags today, and it is in the water bottle thru-out the the hours of working out - so I am pretty sure the caffeine content is high. . . . .so this is what it feels like to have an espresso in the morning! And the bodybuilder looking personal trainer in our gym has at least a dozen in his water bottle! Oh my!!